Press Encounter on return from Washington D.C., (unofficial transcript)
Press events | Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you have a mission going to the [Democratic Republic of the] Congo next week, a very important mission, seeing a lot of African leaders. I would like your thoughts please about the importance of this mission to the UN, and also just how difficult it's going to be to resolve the Congo question which has been a really big worry for you for months and years now.
SG: I think the crisis in Congo with the involvement of so many neighbours is perhaps the greatest challenge that the UN is facing today. We are seeing hopeful signs, but we are not out of the woods, not by any means. I think it is important that the Security Council team is going to Congo to discuss with the leaders and try to push them to make the compromises necessary to move the process forward. I think they will also be able to assess for themselves on the ground how the operations are going, what needs to be done, and I think more importantly the ability for them to encourage the leaders and get the leaders to talk to themselves. There are a couple of ideas that the Council would also want to explore on the ground.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, did the President [Bush] or Mr. Powell give you any indication that the United States would try to catch up on its debt to the United Nations? Congress is talking about half a billion dollars; your figures show closer to two billion.
SG: We didn't get into all that detail, but my sense is that they would want to see the US honour the understanding that was reached last year, and pay a substantial portion of their arrears, and of course continue to pay its annual contributions, both on the regular budget and on peacekeeping. We did not get into the balance of the arrears which is still outstanding. I think it will be another debate and another discussion.
Q: Can I ask you one more question, on the AIDS, are you any further in deciding, or did you discuss with the President what this Fund should look like - independent panel, World Bank, who [inaudible]?
SG: Yes, it will be a Global Fund, a fund for AIDS and health, and it will have several windows - AIDS, TB, malaria, and contributors may make targeted contributions for one or the other, or give us funds generally which we could use. It will be a global fund that governments, individuals, private sector, foundations can pay money into, and we will have a governance structure which would have representatives from donor countries, the private sector, NGOs, particularly those fighting the AIDS disease, and the international organizations. There will be a scientific committee that will assess what we are doing to make sure that things are heading in the right direction and that the money, the Governors of the board will ensure that the money is going to the people in the countries that need it, and that the communities are being engaged. The World Bank will handle the funds, will do the banking and the funding arrangements. There are other details that we are still trying to work out but it will be done in the next week or so.
Q: Sir, on the donation of the US$200 million. Are you disappointed that such a wealthy nation like the United States did not contribute more, and also, are you concerned at all about how reliable these promises of money are from the United States? They seem to depend on the vagaries of politics and [inaudible]
SG: In the ceremony with the President there were also two Senators, Senator Frist and Senator Leahy. So there are lots of people on the Hill who believe that this tragedy should be tackled globally and is a responsibility of all of us, and I think there will be and there is a bipartisan support for this. The President also indicated that the US$200 million was a founding contribution, if you wish, "seed money", and there is a promise of more to come. I would hope that this would also energize other leaders.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, there have been recent reports about turbulence in relations between the UN and the United States. What is your impression of President Bush's and General Powell's general attitude towards the [inaudible]
SG: I think they are both very supportive, and in fact when I first met President Bush at the White House we did discuss the US and UN relationship, and he made it clear that he values the work of the UN, and he wants to work with us. This morning it was very clear that both of them are very supportive of the UN and believe that there should be no withholding of the funds, that it is the wrong thing to do. As you saw, we are also cooperating very actively on this AIDS issue, and I hope to see them here during the AIDS Summit - an important US delegation will come here. I cannot say that at this stage it would include the President, but they will be participating very, very actively, and the signals are good. They are going to work with us and I am looking forward to working with them.
Q: Did they reiterate their support for your second term?
SG: No. I think once said is enough. Once is enough.
Q: What about the confirmation of Mr. Negroponte? Did they indicate that that might go forward a little more expeditiously?
SG: I didn't discuss it with them this morning, but the information I have is that it will be going to the Hill very shortly for the hearings.
Q: Do you think that is an obstacle for the UN? There is no Permanent Representative, someone like Richard Holbrooke, in place.
SG: I think it is always good for Governments to have their Ambassadors appointed to the UN as quickly as possible. In the interim, Jim Cunningham is doing very, very well. I hope the hearings will go forward smoothly and that Mr. Negroponte will join us shortly.
Q: Sir, have you heard anything from the Iraqis about their next trip here?
SG: I saw them, as you know, in Amman. I had a session with deputy President Izzat Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. We postponed the session this month and I will try to set a date next month once the Council review is completed. Thank you very much. *****